A water company has apologised after 80 homes and businesses suffered a water shortage during a barn fire.

The blaze at a barn, being used as a cattery, on Church Road, Newtown, saw more than 30 firefighters attend from across Hampshire on February 24.

It has since been revealed that a broken hydrant resulted in a water shortage in the area, affecting 80 homes and businesses as well as causing "significant challenges" to firefighters.

Portsmouth Water, which manages the area's supply, has "sincerely apologised" for the disruption.

READ MORE: Massive fire at Greenbarn Cattery in Hampshire - everything we know

Despite firefighters being called to the scene at around 10am, it was not until a customer reported the issue "late in the afternoon", that an engineer was deployed to fix the issue.

Portsmouth Water says it took 30 minutes to repair upon their engineer's arrival.

A spokesperson for Portsmouth Water said: "We sincerely apologise for any disruption to water supply experienced by 80 homes and businesses during the recent fire.

"A valve malfunction, once reported by a customer late in the afternoon, was quickly addressed by our engineers within 30 minutes of arriving at the scene.

"We have since conducted a thorough review with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to enhance our communication protocols and ensure a more rapid response to future incidents requiring our network support."

A local dairy farmer said he had no water due to the fire. He told the Echo: "It is beginning to get desperate.

"Dairy cows need water 24/7 otherwise they don't produce, and the water troughs are empty."

Firefighters on Church Road (Image: Cristiano Magaglio)

READ MORE: Footage shows huge plumes billowing from cattery blaze

One woman was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene of the fire, and it is understood all of the animals inside the cattery were taken to safety unharmed.

Hampshire Fire Station Manager Nev Lewendon said: “During the barn fire on Church Road, Newtown, we encountered significant challenges in securing water.

"Unfortunately, the local hydrant was inoperable due to a malfunction, which forced us to rely on water carriers.

"We recognise that this is not an ideal situation, but we are pleased to announce that Portsmouth Water has successfully resolved the issue with the local hydrant.

"We sincerely appreciate the support and patience local residents and farmers have shown during this challenging time.”

Nathan Briant

BBC News

A nurse went to sleep as she fed two babies and left another alone when they needed to be constantly monitored, the nursing regulator has heard.

Emelyn Enad worked in the neonatal ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth between January 2021 and June 2022.

A Hampshire care home she had also worked at shared concerns with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the hospital was then asked if staff had raised any issues.

Mrs Enad has been suspended from nursing for a year.

The hospital told the NMC that Mrs Enad also gave a father the wrong bottle of breast milk for their child and did not tell any senior staff of the error.

It told the NMC it had started its own investigation into Mrs Enad over concerns but it had not finished by the time she resigned in June 2022.

A panel found that she had fallen asleep while feeding the two babies and writing up patient notes on the ward on 31 July 2021.

On 31 August 2021, she was found to have left a baby alone in an isolation cubicle, forgetting to ask a colleague to cover her absence.

The colleague found that while Mrs Enad was away, the cubicle's "red alarm" was triggered.

They told the panel that suggested immediate care was required.

The NMC panel found Mrs Enad leaving the isolation cubicle was a "serious breach" because she "failed to communicate effectively, put at risk the safety of a vulnerable patient and did not take measures to reduce the risk of harm".

In February 2022, she was found to have given the father a bottle of breast milk meant for another baby.

She said that milk was placed in the wrong tray in a fridge but the panel said it was her responsibility to check she was giving out the correct bottle.

It said her actions "fell seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse".

But it said that, despite some "attitudinal concerns", the issues raised were "remediable" and suspended her from nursing for a year.

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First opened in 2003, Farlington Day Nursery was popular from day one which prompted its owners, Rachel and Dean Dolman, to open Dolls House in 2007 when the right property became available.

Between the two sites, they offer care for up to 110 children at any one time in a home-from-home setting that has developed a fantastic reputation locally for offering ‘Outstanding’ rated childcare in a nurturing space. The ethos of the business is for children to grow up to be kind, independent, and resilient and have a love for themselves, for others, and for learning.

Having done a fantastic job of building a successful business based on word-of-mouth referrals, Rachel and Dean decided to sell to enjoy a well-earned retirement.

Following a confidential sales process with Sophie Willcox at Christie & Co, the nurseries were sold to Happy Days Nurseries, which now own 31 settings across the South and South West.

Kim Herbert, Managing Director for Happy Days Nurseries and Pre-Schools, comments, “Farlington and Dolls House' values and beliefs of providing children with the very best care and education align with our own. The staff team will remain in place, and we look forward to working with them to support children to become strong and motivated learners for life and provide a top-class service to enable parents to work and live their daily lives knowing their children are cherished and cared for to the highest standard.”

Sophie Willcox, Director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, comments, “I thoroughly enjoyed working with Rachel and Dean on the sale of their business and ensuring we found the right fit for what they wanted from a buyer in the long term. As they owned the freeholds of the nurseries, we approached the market on both a freehold and leasehold basis and evaluated between us the offers as they came in, to ensure that they proceeded with the route that suited them and their plans the best. We were inundated with interest from local and regional operators, and I’m delighted that the settings have sold to Happy Days Nurseries who, I’m sure, will take them to further success.”

Farlington Day Nursery and Dolls House Day Nursery were sold for an undisclosed price.

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For further information on this press release, contact: Phoebe Hill, Associate Director – Corporate Communications P: 07540 063 598 or E: phoebe.hill@christie.com

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Hampshire, Southampton, and Portsmouth councils have written to the Government to support the Isle of Wight’s position as a standalone unitary authority.

The letters sent to the Minister make clear that the Island should not be reorganised or merged with any other authority as part of the national Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process — LGR is an entirely different process to Devolution which does not require any changes to local authorities.

Government’s reorganisation plansThe Government has announced that local authorities across the country must submit outline plans for reorganisation in the Solent area by mid-March, with detailed proposals to follow by autumn 2025.

LGR aims to replace all two-tier local authority structures with single unitary authorities. However, as the Isle of Wight council is already a unitary authority, it does not require restructuring.

Isle of Wight makes the case for exemptionCouncillor Phil Jordan, Leader of the Isle of Wight council, has repeatedly pressed the Minister and his team to ensure the Island remains unchanged.

Speaking today, he told OnTheWight,

“From the outset of the Government announcement on re-organisation I have been very clear with the Minister and his team of civil servants.

“I have met the Minister a number of times in the past two months and on each occasion I have put the case very firmly for the Island remaining as is, an unchanged status and size Unitary council, and received positive comments back about our position.”

He has followed up those meetings with a letter to the Minister, reinforcing the Island’s case for exception.

Regional councils stand with the IslandCouncillor Jordan has worked closely with leaders from Portsmouth, Southampton, and Hampshire councils to present a united front against any changes to the Isle of Wight’s governance structure.

“As a strategic partnership, selected for the priority programme for devolution, the four Leaders of Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have written separately to the Minister, mapping out the proposals that support the Island in remaining unchanged and supporting the Island with its case for exception under the White Paper guidelines and LGR correspondence.”

The letters, now made available to residents below, demonstrate that local authorities in the region support the Island’s continued independence as a unitary authority.

Positive discussions with the GovernmentCouncillor Jordan remains optimistic that the Minister will formally confirm the Isle of Wight’s exemption from reorganisation.

“To date, the discussions I have had are positive and the Minister accepts we have a special case for exception, and I am working hard to get him to commit to that in writing as soon as possible.”

“Further meetings with Government officials are scheduled in the coming weeks, both with Councillor Jordan and the Isle of Wight Council’s Chief Executive.

“I am confident that we can be successful in our ask of Government and move on through to Devolution unhindered by any re-organisation for the Island. I am not stopping until we achieve that goal.”